Chapter 82: Chapter 82: The Disappearing Vehicle
The annihilating white light arrived punctually once again, not a second off.
In a corner of the bedroom, Lin Xian opened his eyes.
“So far, the white light still exists in this dream, destroying everything, and humanity is still completely unaware of it.”
Gao Yang had said something similar before.
He mentioned that humanity’s astronomical observation methods are quite advanced now, capable of detecting gravitational waves, extraterrestrial crises, and more.
Whether or not prevention is possible is another matter, but at least it wouldn’t be a total surprise like in Dream World.
Now, in the second dream, after 600 years of rapid technological development, even New Donghai City, a cyber science fiction city, has appeared. Cars fly in the sky, and robots crawl all over the ground…
With such an explosion of technology, has there really been no progress in the field of astronomical observation?
Lin Xian shook his head in denial.
It was already evident from the mysterious black hand shadow on the moon that humanity in the future world had mastered the technology for massive construction projects on the moon at least several hundred years ago.
Logically speaking, if they could leave such wonders on the moon hundreds of years ago… then after centuries have passed, humanity has neither flown starships beyond the Solar System nor built space cities in outer space… Could it be that the technological development took a wrong turn?
Lin Xian pondered while supporting his chin:
“Thinking about it, even if technology in the future world has rapidly evolved after the Temporal Flux, the level of development still seems too low.”
Is it difficult to construct a science fiction city like New Donghai City?
Or is it harder to create a huge black hand shadow on the moon?
Undoubtedly, it’s the latter.
“But it’s hard to say.”
Lin Xian’s thoughts were somewhat conflicted.
While it’s true that by the year 2023 humanity had lost the capability to land on the moon, it cannot be denied that as early as 1969, Mi Country had already succeeded in manned moon landings.
Colonel Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” still echo in our ears.
Over the years, numerous countries have managed to send lunar robots to the moon successfully.
So from that perspective, perhaps placing an immense structure using light-absorbing materials on the moon is more a matter of the hassle and expenditure involved, rather than a question of technical difficulty.
“Let it go, no more thinking.”
“It’s better to take the opportunity to visit New Donghai City and look at historical records, or to ask astronomers in reality, rather than trying to figure it out all by myself.”
Lin Xian decided not to trouble his brain further.
He got out of bed to use the bathroom.
The sound of running water…
Lin Xian scooped up some water from the faucet in the bathroom and splashed it onto his face, scrubbing it.
He had slept from a little after five in the afternoon until one o’clock in the morning and felt very refreshed, not sleepy at all.
Returning to the bedroom, he sat down at his desk.
Lin Xian decided to plan his subsequent exploration efforts.
He listed an exploration plan, prioritizing by importance and personal curiosity, from most to least important:
1. The most crucial task is to have a good chat with Big Face Cat’s father. Understand what “Introduction to the Cosmological Constant” is, figure out what he has been mumbling about, and try to discover the secrets and purposes of the Genius Club.
2. Find a way to sneak into New Donghai City, seek the true historical records, and understand what exactly has happened in the past 600 years.
3. When there’s spare time, he could play with Big Face Cat and see what he’s been hiding.
“The main tasks of the new dream are just these two or three, with the third being purely a side quest and completely unimportant.”
Big Face Cat is living happily now, and Lin Xian is actually quite pleased about it.
Even though Big Face Cat had just met Lin Xian for the first time, Lin Xian felt as if they were old acquaintances and had long considered this honest and loyal ruffian an old friend.
“I really wonder what Big Face Cat is hiding from me. But then again, it’s likely not anything as trivial as petty theft.”
“Time for sleep. Tomorrow I still need to find the academic advisor at East Sea University.”
The next morning, Lin Xian took the latest Rhein Cat merchandise design materials to report to Zhao Yingjun.
The previous dream had vanished, and the toy store filled with Lin Xian’s creative merchandise was gone… The stockpile in his mind was in jeopardy.
“Not bad, your design skills are still consistently high,”
Zhao Yingjun briefly glanced over the designs and nodded with a smile, her eyes full of approval:
“Because of this adorable cat… our Rhein brand has become popular among teenage girls, which is an unexpected gain.”
“Although they don’t have much spending power right now, they will in the future, and we’ve effectively secured our customers early. All thanks to this cute kitty.”
“Rhein Cat’s copyright royalties are settled quarterly and must be synchronized with the manufacturing channel’s settlements. You’ll have to wait a while for the first share of the dividends.”
“That’s alright,” Lin Xian replied indifferently.
Perhaps he hadn’t yet adjusted to his new status as a nouveau riche, Lin Xian always felt that he had more money than he could spend, and he was earning it faster than he could spend it.
Moreover, the dream, Genius Club, Xu Yun’s death, Introduction to the Cosmological Constant, CC, and Chu Anqing…
He was entangled with a multitude of mysteries; all he wanted was to find the answers and had little interest in anything else.
He had even promised Gao Yang to pick out a car from him early on but had yet to fulfill it.
“Actually, this cat is also quite popular among college students.” Lin Xian explained that he had to visit East Sea University that afternoon:
“So, our counselor begged me to give a mini lecture to the juniors and share some design experience.”
“That’s a good thing,” Zhao Yingjun replied:
“By the way, promote our company a bit. If there are any promising candidates interested in working with us, we can give their resumes priority.”
“Because of you… I’m quite looking forward to and hold a favorable impression of East Sea University’s top talents. We need more outstanding talents like you.”
Having said that, she stood up and picked up her coat:
“Then you’ll head to the university this afternoon. Just make sure everything at the company is organized. Coincidentally, I won’t be at the company this afternoon either; I’m going to a party.”
Lin Xian looked up, reminded of the black shadow engulfing the full moon in his dream world…
“Yes, an afternoon tea gathering for a small group of musicians.” Zhao Yingjun stepped into her high heels and went to pick out a scarf:
“I want to talk to one of the composers about creating a theme song for a Rhein Cat MV.”
“The influence of this cat keeps fermenting; it has already surpassed our expectations by far. Any related merchandise sells out immediately upon release, and supermarket agents from all over are pressuring us for more stock. Even with the factories working overtime, they can’t keep up with production.”
“Mainly, I don’t want to ruin the good IP that is Rhein Cat, so I choose factories with high-quality standards for the dolls. There are not many that meet my criteria.”
Zhao Yingjun picked up a blue scarf and came back to her desk, looking at Lin Xian:
“You’re going to East Sea University for a lecture, right? Well, why not inform the logistics department to transport a truckload of Rhein Cat Dolls there? Hand them out to the students attending the seminar; it’s better than going empty-handed.”
“After all, you’re an alumnus returning to your alma mater with glory. Bringing little gifts for the juniors seems more befitting.”
“No need, really, there’s no need,” Lin Xian waved his hands:
“It’s just a small lecture organized by our counselor… At most, there’ll be a few dozen people. There’s no need for so many dolls.”
“Since you’re going, just take them with you. You don’t have a car, so let logistics arrange that too,” Zhao Yingjun quickly tidied up her desk, grabbing her handbag:
“Although you’re not officially representing the company, we still need to consider your reputation. One business car to shuttle you and one small cargo van carrying Rhein Cat Dolls should suffice; just give them out for free as advertising.”
It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
And with Zhao Yingjun in a hurry to leave, Lin Xian was compelled to accept this kindness.
The double-password office door closed.
Lin Xian returned to his own office, picked up his black notebook filled with the outline for his speech, and went downstairs.
Sitting in the business car, Lin Xian observed the scenery along the way through the window.
He had traveled this road many times lately, whenever he went to see Xu Yun.
He would never have the chance to see Xu Yun again.
Whenever he thought of his old friend, Lin Xian felt a sense of longing.
Xu Yun was truly a good person. Despite many misunderstandings about him, they did not prevent him from being a pure scientist.
To this day, the culprit who had killed Xu Yun remained at large.
There were scathing criticisms online.
The Donghai police were under immense pressure, but with no leads, there was nothing they could do. The two cars had vanished as if into thin air, and no one understood how it was done.
This was Donghai City, a place covered in surveillance cameras…
Resting his chin in his hand, Lin Xian wondered:
“Those two cars… How did they disappear?”